1. Scope of Invention
This invention relates generally to therapeutic devices for treating distressed soft body tissue and more particularly to a device for therapeutic electrical stimulation and simultaneously heating of soft body tissue.
2. Prior Art
Therapeutic electrical stimulation of soft body tissue is well known. These devices which produce transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation are known as TENS devices and are used to both relieve chronic pain and to produce muscle building stimulation. It is also well known to treat injured and weakened soft body tissue through the use of the topical application of heating atop the body tissue to be treated.
Many devices beginning with the earliest of the resistive wire heating pads are well known in prior art to accomplish the individual function of heating. The more recently developed TENS units are well known for therapeutic electrical stimulation of muscles and soft body tissue. A more complex therapeutic device for providing heating or cooling of the skin and underlying body tissue is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,828 invented by Deutsch. This device includes a handle and a thermally conductive head which utilizes Peltier effect devices for heating or cooling a contact plate within the head. The contact plate may also be connected to a high-voltage source for electrical stimulation.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,336,255, Kanare et al. have disclosed an electrical stimulation and heating or cooling pack which includes a non-conductive pouch and straps for positioning and holding the pouch against a body part. Flexible conductive patches attached to the pouch are connectable to a remote pulse generator. An electrically conductive adhesive gel pad is also provided for coupling the conductive patch to the body part. By this arrangement, both heating or cooling and electrical stimulation of a body part are provided.
Heath, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,377,158, teaches an electrical resistance unit which can adapt to many uses, including heating devices. My previous U.S. Pat. No. 5,601,618 discloses a very simple device for providing combination electrical stimulation or TENS-type soft body tissue stimulation and the simultaneous heating of the body tissue. The device is hermetically sealed by molding into a single unit and is extremely compact and portable, relying upon low current dry battery power for heating and the utilization of double-sided adhesive conductive electrodes which adhesively attach to the skin area over the soft body tissue for supporting the device against the skin during use.
The present invention improves upon my previous '618 patent by increasing compactness and manufacturing simplicity and by providing matched pairs of stimulating and heating pads, each of which are individually placeable in any desired spacing, but are electrically dependent upon one another and body tissue therebetween for neuromuscular stimulation. An electrical cable includes a Y-splitter which extends from a main cable which may be utilized to limit the operable spaced between the pads of each pair of pads.